ICO to investigate Carphone Warehouse data breach

The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) is investigating the theft of personal and banking details of up to 2.4 million people from Carphone Warehouse last week.

The ICO was alerted by Carphone Warehouse last Friday, two days after the data was stolen in what the company has described as a "sophisticated" cyber attack.

The mobile phone retailer said it was informing all customers who may have been affected by the breach via email, including up to 90,000 who may have had their encrypted credit card details accessed.

Carphone Warehouse, which is owned by Dixons Carphone, was at pains to stress, however, that the vast majority of its customers were unaffected by the breach.

The company has been criticised for the length of time it has taken to inform those whose data is believed to have been stolen, but explained it needed time to work out what had been taken and how the systems were breached.

Those affected are advised to change their passwords and to contact their banks to put their accounts on alert for any suspicious activity.